Organisations & Operators News Page 113
Virgin Atlantic to offer accredited Autism Awareness training for cabin crew
Virgin Atlantic has announced the launch of an accredited Autism Awareness training programme for its cabin crew, developed in partnership with autism travel specialists, Autism Double-Checked. The programme forms part of the airline's ongoing commitment to inclusive travel and supporting customers with non-visible disabilities. Launching this May, the mandatory digital training consists of two modules - one covering general autism awareness, and a second designed specifically for the cabin crew role with a focus on the inflight experience. All cabin crew will complete both as part of their annual recurrent learning, giving every crew member the confidence and practical tools to support autistic customers onboard, from recognising sensory sensitivities and signs of distress, to adapting how they communicate and providing reassurance throughout the journey. Virgin Atlantic also plans to extend the training to all customer-facing ground teams in 2026, ensuring consistent support at every stage of the travel experience.
Shura Island Residences Welcomes First Homeowners
Shura Island Residences, part of Red Sea Global (RSG), has welcomed its first homeowners to SLS The Red Sea Residences, bringing SLS’s bold, lifestyle-led approach to residential living to Shura Island, marking a significant milestone for the destination. “Welcoming our first homeowners to SLS turns our vision into a lived reality. These residents are now part of our story, shaping life on Shura Island and helping us in pioneering a regenerative approach that benefits both people and the planet. This is just the beginning of a vibrant new chapter for our community at The Red Sea,” said Stephen Cheesebrough, Head of Development at Red Sea Global.
Dubai’s Hotel Community Unites Behind GCC Resident Offer Push to Drive Regional Travel Demand
Dubai’s hospitality community is mobilising behind a coordinated effort to strengthen GCC resident offers across the city’s hotels, restaurants, attractions and tourism experiences. This industry-led initiative brings together hospitality partners to align, refresh, and amplify existing GCC and UAE resident offers into a unified, market-wide push, timed to upcoming peak travel periods, school holidays, and the summer season. The Dubai Hotel Group (DHG) is supporting this effort across its members and wider UAE industry partners, encouraging broad participation and alignment across the sector.
Minor Hotels Signs First Colbert Collection in Asia and New Avani Resort in Koh Phangan
Minor Hotels, a global hospitality leader with more than 640 properties in operation and committed development across 63 countries, announces the signing of two new resort properties in Thailand in partnership with Rasa Group: Colbert Collection Koh Samui and Avani Koh Phangan. The dual signing marks the debut of the Colbert Collection brand in Asia and reinforces Minor Hotels’ continued expansion in key resort destinations across the region. Located on Chaweng Beach, Colbert Collection Koh Samui will become the first property under the brand in Asia. The 32-key beachfront resort, operating as Buri Rasa Village Samui, will transition to Minor Hotels management on 1 May 2026, with rebranding scheduled for Q1 2027 following an extensive renovation programme.
Travelsphere and Just You launch ‘Holiday Assurance’ promotion
Escorted touring brands Travelsphere and Just You have launched a ‘Holiday Assurance Guarantee’. Valid on new bookings made until May 31 and for tours departing in 2026, it allows travellers to amend their booking as many times as required up to 75 days prior to departure without any amendment fees*.
MIDDLE EAST TRAVEL & TOURISM SOARS AS SAUDI ARABIA FUELS GROWTH AT NEARLY TWICE THE GLOBAL RATE
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) today revealed that the Middle East is experiencing strong Travel & Tourism growth, with the sector expanding by 5.3% in 2025, outpacing the global average of 4.1% and reinforcing the region’s position as one of the world’s most dynamic travel markets. WTTC’s latest Economic Impact Research (EIR), a leading global study of Travel & Tourism performance, highlights the region’s strong performance across key indicators, including international visitor spending, domestic travel, and business travel.
PKFARE Partners with Wano and AirAsia MOVE to Launch Flight + Hotel Packaging
PKFARE, a leading global travel wholesaler, today announced the launch of a flight + hotel packaging partnership with Wano, a B2B travel distribution platform, and AirAsia MOVE, a leading online travel agency (OTA) in Asean - both under Capital A’s portfolio of businesses. This collaboration marks PKFARE’s expansion into hotel packaging services. Under the collaboration, Wano manages distribution of flights and AirAsia MOVE drives consumer demand, while PKFARE powers the underlying technology infrastructure that integrates inventory, pricing, and real-time packaging capabilities into a unified system.
dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives introduces stylish new event venue near Malé
dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives, a vibrant all-inclusive lifestyle resort operated by Dusit Hotels and Resorts and located just seven minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, has unveiled Feydhoo Hall, a new multi-purpose events venue designed to support the growing demand for destination weddings, corporate retreats, and group travel experiences in the Maldives. As the country continues to diversify beyond traditional leisure travel, the destination welcomed a record 2.25 million international visitors in 2025, underscoring its global appeal and creating new opportunities to expand into niche MICE segments such as incentive travel, curated group experiences, and small corporate gatherings. Feydhoo Hall has been developed to cater to this shift.
Four Seasons Resort Marrakech Strengthens Its Commitment to Responsible Hospitality
Since its opening, Four Seasons Resort Marrakech has been dedicated to offering an oasis of serenity where luxury is defined by space, service, and a profound connection to the ancient city. Today, this journey reaches a new milestone with the receipt of the Green Key certification, an international eco-label that recognizes the establishment’s ongoing commitment to responsible hospitality.
IHG Hotels & Resorts and All Nippon Airways announce milestone loyalty partnership
IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, and All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. (ANA), Japan’s largest airline, today announced a comprehensive loyalty partnership, setting a new benchmark for hotel-airline loyalty collaboration in the travel industry. Launching after October, IHG One Rewards and ANA Mileage Club (AMC) members will gain access to benefits including an enhanced loyalty and recognition offer for AMC members, double dip points-earning on select ANA flights, and two-way points exchange of ANA miles and IHG One Rewards points. Through this partnership, members can earn and redeem rewards across ANA’s extensive international network serving 40 cities and 55 routes worldwide, as well as across IHG’s global hotel portfolio of over 7,000 hotels in more than 100 countries.
InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach Unveils a New Chapter
InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach – part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ luxury & lifestyle portfolio – continues to redefine Sydney’s beachfront experience, unveiling the final chapter of its multi-million-dollar transformation. Continuing the brand’s legacy as a pioneer of luxury hospitality for over 80 years, the reimagined InterContinental hotel is now open with an ocean-facing infinity pool and terrace, Club InterContinental lounge, and pickleball courts, with the highly anticipated Èliva Spa set to follow in early May.
IHG Hotels & Resorts boosts European growth with portfolio of 11 hotels
IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has entered into long-term franchise agreements for 11 hotels across Germany, Belgium and France. The hotels will be converted to IHG’s Holiday Inn, voco and Garner brands, bringing more choice to IHG’s guests across Europe. Germany: 6 hotels (1,125 rooms) across key destinations such as, Leipzig, Bremen and Wiesbaden Belgium: 4 hotels (497 rooms), including Brussels Airport and Brussels City Centre France: 1 hotel (186 rooms), conveniently located at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport This portfolio will debut Garner, IHG’s midscale conversion brand, in Belgium, and strengthen IHG's portfolio in Germany to almost 50 open hotels for this brand.